


The Chilling Adventures of Adora

by Drunkforestnymph



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Breakup, F/F, Gen, Sabrina AU, Therefore also kind of a high school AU but with magic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-07
Updated: 2019-01-27
Packaged: 2019-10-05 19:50:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17331281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Drunkforestnymph/pseuds/Drunkforestnymph
Summary: This couldn’t go on forever."I need to tell you something after school today."Catra would never let Adora avoid it if she knew there was something she didn’t know. And if Catra knew, she only had so long before Lonnie and Kyle knew."Way to be cryptic, but ok"Now she just had to ignore the knot in her stomach folding in on itself for the rest of the day.The Sabrina AU you didn't know you wanted, featuring a Church of Light that doesn't suck.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ActuallyMe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ActuallyMe/gifts).



> This is exactly what it sounds like. I have nothing to say for myself except I'm a witch who was frustrated with the Church of Night and loves She-Ra.
> 
> Thank you to ActuallyMe, my wonderful beta :)  
> Rating, tags, and ships will probably expand, this thing has a life of its own.

Adora was running out of time. 

Halloween night was a three days away, and she hadn’t mentioned the fact that she wouldn’t be going to Etheria High come November first. At first, she had planned to tell Catra about it at the beginning of the school year. The first week of September came and went without so much of a peep about transferring. Then the second. Third.

Then, she decided, October first would be a more reasonable time to “discover” that a mid-semester transfer was necessary. The knot in her stomach grew every day she lied to her friends by omission, but she choked every time she opened her mouth to start. 

But this couldn’t go on forever. 

_I need to tell you something after school today._ Catra would never let Adora avoid it if she knew there was something she didn’t know. And if Catra knew, she only had so long before Lonnie and Kyle knew. 

_Way to be cryptic, but ok_

Now she just had to ignore the knot in her stomach folding in on itself for the rest of the day. 

\-----

Maybe this would be easier if she was being forced. If she didn’t know that this was the right choice. She could whine to Catra that her Aunts were forcing the transfer, that she didn’t want to leave. But Adora had spoken to the High Priestess herself. The work being done at the academy was for the good of the world, though the outside world need not know about that. Adora would be learning to heal, to cleanse, to send energy through the fabric of the universe. She could be a force of good in this world. She _so_ wanted to be a force of good.

Adora leaned against the hood of her car, waiting. They had a routine. _Not for long,_ she thought. It wasn’t a pleasant revelation and another wave of guilt followed. Finally, Catra came out of the school. “Hey babe.” Her arms went around Adora’s waist, her lips pressed to her temple. “Ready?” 

“Yeah,” Adora clicked her fob and and opened the driver’s door, “I’m ready.”

“So what’s this big secret you have to tell me?” She tried to hide it, but Catra was nervous.

Adora took a deep breath and focused on her hands on the wheel. “I… I have to transfer schools. Friday is my last day at Etheria.” When she heard nothing from Catra she hazarded a glance in her direction. “There’s a private school, up by the lake. Aunt Hope wants me to go and somehow got the admissions board to let me in.” She had rehearsed this lie over and over, and still it barely slipped through her teeth. She _hated_ lying, especially to Catra. _This is for her own safety. Knowing the truth would put her at risk._ Adora had to remind herself.

Shock was written on her tan face. “But...it’s October. Why wouldn’t you go when next semester starts?” Catra huffed. “This isn’t fair.” 

“I know.” Adora didn’t know what else to say. She realized in that moment that this was as far as she had gotten when planning this little talk. Oops.

“What school is it?” 

Fuck. “It’s...uh… I don’t remember the name.” She didn’t want to see the look on Catra’s face. 

“Your aunt wants you to go to this school bad enough to pull you out mid-semester, and you don’t even know what it’s called?” She scoffed. Adora caught the swing of curls in the corner of her eye when Catra shook her head. “What’s going on, Adora?” 

She didn’t know what to say, so she said nothing. 

“Adora, look at me.”

Red light. Adora turned to look at Catra, who was looking back with wide eyes, incredulous, her mouth a hard line. It was a poor choice, she realized, meeting her eyes. Her resolve crumbled and she tried to pull it back into place. _Lie. Lie. Lie. Do it for her own good._

But Catra would rather know the truth, no matter the danger. She knew that. 

“Adora, I swear to god-” 

“Give me a minute.” She couldn’t do it like this. If the truth was coming out she had to look Catra in the eyes. 

There was a gas station to the right and she pulled the car into a stall away from anyone else. “Are you sure you want to know?” 

“Yes! Now will you stop being so _weird_ and tell me what the hell is going on?”

“I’m a witch. My whole family is. I have to go to magic school.” 

Catra chuffed and turned away towards the door. “Fine then, don’t tell me-” Adora locked the car doors before she could leave. Of course Catra would think this is a joke. 

“Listen to me, Catra. I’m telling the truth. My dad, he was a warlock. Both his sisters, my aunts, are too. There’s a church and I have to be baptized on my 18th birthday and start going to the Academy.” 

There was a wave of skepticism, then confusion, then hurt. “You knew about this. You’ve known about- how long have you known about this?” 

“All of my life.” Adora whispered. 

“All your life,” Catra repeated in disbelief. “And you didn’t think to bring it up before? We’ve known each other for 12 years and the first time you mention it is _days_ before you’re leaving?” Her voice caught. “You’re leaving. You’re leaving the school. You’re leaving _me.”_

“I’m not going anywhere, I’ll still live in the same house, we can still be together, spend time together.” Adora put her hand on Catra’s thigh. She didn’t want this to ruin everything they had, the years they had been building this, everything they were looking forward to. Desperation seeped into her voice. “Nothing has to change.” She wasn’t sure that it was true, in all honesty. Everyone had warned her, Angella, Auntie Hope, Auntie Razz- after her baptism, it would be _different._ Her relationships with mortals would be strained by secrecy and separation. But maybe if she didn’t have to keep this secret, if they kept seeing each other after school, it could work. They could make it work. 

“I can’t fucking deal with this right now. I can’t look at you. I can’t believe you would keep this from me.” Catra unlocked the car door. “I can walk from here.” 

“Wait! Catra please, I… I need you to keep this between us. Secret. Promise you won’t tell anyone.” She felt pathetic, and ashamed, begging Catra like this right after upsetting her. 

“Yeah. Obviously.” The car door slammed, the passenger seat empty. 

“I love you,” Adora said, under her breath, because she knew Catra didn’t want to hear it. 

\-----

“Oh, Adora darling, you look beautiful.” Aunt Razz clasped her hands under her chin, misty eyed. 

“Isn’t she just divine?” Aunt Hope added. “But we mustn’t stand around gawking at you; it’s nearly the witching hour. Grab your coat, it’s time to go.” 

Adora did as she was told, layering her red wool coat over the white and gold dress she’d picked out ages ago for the occasion. It was unclear where the excitement ended and the anxiety began, but both were uncomfortably present. 

When she tied up her boots she caught sight of the sneakers Catra had left on the welcome mat last time she’d come over and sighed. _If only this was something I could bring my mortal girlfriend to._

\-----

Adora was surrounded by marble walls, crystals floating in midair, and luminescent fountains. She had been to the Church a handful of times, but the weight of her baptism magnified the effect it had on her. 

It would be her first time in the Atrium, the spiritual heart of the Church where the Moonstone was kept and rituals were held.

When the doors opened for her, it was bright like midday sun but without the heat. Chanting from the coven members matched the music, light and harp-like.

Adora didn’t need to be told to walk to High Priestess Angella standing just in front of the Moonstone, permeating Grace. She kneeled in front of the Priestess, the altar between her and the stone. “Welcome daughter of light. And welcome members of the coven, both living and dead. We gather to mark Adora’s initiation into the mysteries of the Church of Light.” The High Priestess dipped her thumb into a bowl on the altar and pressed it to Adora’s forehead. She didn’t recognize the smell, but it was floral and spicy and clean all at once. “We Children of Light believe it is our responsibility to reach our potential for the good of the world. That it is our duty to care for others and find strength in kindness. Do you believe this to be true?” 

“Yes.” 

“And will you do what is in your power to change this world for the better?”

“Yes.” The excitement was winning over the fear now, these were her people, they had the same values, she was safe here, she could do so much here.

Angella’s gaze was soft. “Do you choose the path of light of your own volition?”

“Yes,” Adora breathed. The High Priestess placed something on her head, cold and thin. 

“Then rise. The Church of Bright Moon accepts you, Adora Spellman!” Cheers erupted through the atrium, echoing through the domed marble ceilings. “Adora, please step forward and press your hands to the Moonstone to receive its power.” She did so slowly and reverently, reaching over the altar hesitantly. 

The second her hands made contact her mind flew open, something like electricity flowing through her veins in a rush. She may have gasped. It was like going from black and white to color, and a nuclear reactor’s worth of energy hummed in her chest. The little spells and charms from before _this_ felt like just a tickle in comparison. 

And then her hands were off the stone, but that did nothing to reduce the magic she could feel from her chest to her fingertips. “Congratulations!” Her aunties hugged her tight. “Now it’s time for the best part- feasting!” Aunt Razz rubbed her hands together. “You’ll be needing a drink,” She added, and went off to help with preparation. 

“I need a minute,” Adora kissed Aunt Hope’s cheek before going off in search of a bathroom. 

It was by accident that she glanced in the mirror and saw what the High Priestess had placed on her head- a thin, gold circlet with a moonstone resting in the middle, over her third eye. She gave it one last look and a small, proud smile before leaving the bathroom. 

“Congratulations Adora!” Bow, next to Glimmer, waved. She’d met them a couple times in the Church; they went to the Academy, and Glimmer was the daughter of the High Priestess. As far as Adora could tell, she didn’t have the kind of attitude you might expect, but time would tell. And now that Adora was going to the Academy, they would have plenty of that. 

“Thanks guys!” Adora walked over to them. She was still floating somewhere near cloud nine, decidedly not as grounded as she maybe should have been- but if there was any time to get caught up in the magic it was then, right? 

“You’re still looking a little wide-eyed. It can be pretty intense, huh?” Glimmer said.  
“Do you want to sit down?” Bow asked, looking a little concerned. 

Adora shook her head, her ponytail brushing her neck. “No. Honestly, I want to go do some magic. I can feel it just waiting, buzzing-” _This is probably what cocaine feels like. No wonder mortals do it._

Glimmer and Bow exchanged a look. “That could be arranged.” Glimmer’s smile was just a touch mischievous, the kind of subtle that only develops under a strict parent. “Follow me.” 

\-----

“Where are we going?” 

“Outside. Whatever kind of magic comes out of you is going to be chaotic as hell. Out here you don’t have to worry about damaging anything.” 

Adora blushed slightly. “What makes you think I’d be capable of damaging anything?” 

The girl shrugged, her hair catching the light and somehow literally _sparkling._ Whatever spell that was, Adora wanted to know. “I can tell you lift. Physical strength and discipline translate to magic. I don’t make the rules.” 

A small laugh escaped Adora. “You’re not wrong.” 

\-----

Adora thought once she had spent some of the energy humming through her that she would come back down to earth, gradually returning to her normal state. 

That was not what happened. 

Instead the more she pulled through her hands, the more she externalized into spectacular light shows and twisting water dancing through fountains, the more there was to pull. She was a self-charging battery and it felt _amazing._

The laughter bubbled out of her, contagiously, joined by Glimmer and Bow. Her feet were bare in the grass and her vision was somehow blurred and more accurate, capturing more than images of physical matter. Her memories of this didn’t need to be exact, because she would always remember how it _felt._

It was only much later, laying in bed, finally exhausted, that she realized that since leaving for her baptism, she hadn’t thought about Catra at all.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning for minor alcohol and marijuana use by characters over 18.

Adora shared a room at the academy with Glimmer, though Bow was there so often he may as well be considered a roommate. Across the hall were Perfuma and Mermista, both a year ahead of them. Glimmer had “suggested” she introduce herself to the other witches and warlocks she’d be studying with, starting with their hall neighbors. 

Adora was, as far as she knew, the only half-witch in the history of the coven; the occasional stares and whispers reinforced this theory. It was one thing to be the new kid; it was quite another to be the product of a High Priest and mortal woman, neither of whom she had ever known, _and_ the new kid.

It helped to have her familiar here with her. She-Ra was a pitbull who looked incomplete without a flower crown; Glimmer had been the one to point that out after Perfuma had conjured one out of thin air the first time they met. 

Since the night of her baptism, Glimmer and Bow seemed to have taken it upon themselves to ensure Adora assimilated into the school, inviting her to lunch, checking in about classes and homework and making sure she knew they were happy to help if she had any questions. 

It would’ve been embarrassing to be coddled this way if they didn’t have a way of doing it without pity. “I know it can be kind of harrowing to be thrown into this without a transition period. And Glimmer is the best equipped to assist with that sort of thing,” Bow had told her once. 

And then there was her schoolwork. A good deal of it, at least in her core prerequisites, was intuitive, but she didn’t trust that to carry her that far. Maybe Auntie Hope was right and she should have been homeschooled-

But then she wouldn’t have met Catra, or Lonnie, or Kyle. And they were worth it. Catra was worth it. 

\-----

It was one of the last days being outside would actually be pleasant, which is probably the only reason Adora was able to convince Catra and Lonnie to hang out at the park instead of Catra’s- their default hangout space, because apparently living in a mortuary is “creepy” and this is the only possible way that Catra wouldn’t be late. And as strained as the relationship between Catra and her mother was, at least the woman left them alone. 

“How’s your new school?” Lonnie didn’t bother trying to hide the bitterness. It had been a week since Halloween and between classes, Mass, and the almost-required socializing, this was the first chance she had to get away from the Academy. 

“Boring. I miss you guys.” Only the first part was a lie. “How are classes?” 

Lonnie rolled their eyes. “How d’you think? Tedious as ever. That dude Tim in English has been getting even more annoying, and man, Ms. Weaver is starting to weird me out. Every time I see her it’s like she’s trying to see into my soul or some shit,” Adora had never felt one way or the other about their English teacher, as this was her first semester in her class. She had noticed, though, that the impression she gave off in years before was distinctly different than who Adora knew her to be now. In years before she had maintained a polite approachableness even with students who weren’t in her class and worked with other teachers on inter-class group projects. Since actually taking a class with her, however, she seemed withdrawn, harsh. “And she’s gettin’ bitchier in classes.”

“Yeah, tell me about it.” Catra bristled. 

“What do you mean?” Since the first day of school Ms. Weaver had taken a liking to Adora; when she went off on a student and by extension the entire class, it was never her. 

Catra shook her head, not meeting her eyes. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Catra’s been catching the worst of it,” Lonnie explained. 

“How bad?” Adora asked, looking between the two of them. Nothing. “Your silence is not reassuring.” The longer it went on the more worried she became. Did she really just leave Catra to the wolves at Etheria High? 

“It’s fine, Adora.” Catra pushed a strand of blond hair behind Adora’s ear. _She always keeps her nails so long,_ Adora thought absentmindedly. “I can handle it. Besides, there’s a new girl in my class, I think she must be related to someone important or something. Weaver keeps a lid on her shit during 6th period now.” 

Lonnie chuffed. “Lucky.” Adora was reminded of the way the professors acted in classes she shared with Glimmer versus the ones she had without her. “I’m gonna split. Gotta pick up my brother from his stupid friend’s house.” Adora heard Lonnie say goodbye to Catra’s dad downstairs. 

“So magic is boring, huh?” Catra lifted her eyebrow. “Guess it’s wasted on you, maybe you can give it to me?” She was trying to go back to their usual dynamic, Adora would give her that. The fact that she had to _try_ in the first place was worrying, though. 

“I miss you.” Adora said, because it was true, and because it was safer than an elaboration on what exactly she’d been getting up to at school. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to tell Catra; there were so many things that had to be kept secret for the sake of the Church, for all the witches in Bright Moon, her Aunties, her new friends, Catra. 

“I miss you too.” Catra scooted closer, huddled against Adora’s side on the park bench. It was quiet; apparently, no one else wanted to be outside while fall thought about turning into winter. Adora could feel Catra’s eyes on her and looked up to meet them. For a second, everything was as it was two weeks ago. Catra was the person who had been there all her life, always on her side, always ready to defend her. For a second Adora was still caught in the moment when they moved from friends to something… not more, but different. Caught in the idea that she was going to be with her high school sweetheart forever- 

Catra put her hand on Adora’s cheek, slowly and deliberately closing the distance between them with a kiss. 

\-----

“Adora! It’s Friday night, you’re supposed to be celebrating getting through your first week of classes! This is basically Witch College, we get to drink wine with our friends on the weekends, I don’t care what my mom says.” 

Bow was already in his spot, the bean bag chair between the girls’ beds that all but had his name on it. Mermista and Perfuma were apparently on their way with Mermista’s on-again-off-again boyfriend. “Best not to bring it up until she does. They still hang out when they’re off, I never have any idea what’s happening.” Bow had advised. 

Adora had intentionally kept talk of her non-magical life to a minimum, just as she kept details about her secret life (was it really her secret life if this was the world in which she usually was?) to a minimum with Catra. She definitely couldn’t pull off total overlap, and grey areas just caused chaos when it came to this. 

Then again, she always thought grey areas caused chaos and misunderstandings. Call it a side effect of being raised by Hope. 

Perfuma, Mermista, and Seahawk arrived some time later, bearing hard cider and boxed wine. “Hello! I don’t believe we’ve met, I’m Seahawk, I’m Mermista’s boyfriend-”

“For now.” Mermista smirked and hip-checked him. Perfuma was making the rounds, giving everyone a hug, including She-Ra. 

“Perfuma?” Glimmer started. “She’s missing something.” Perfuma giggled and chanted something unintelligible, drawing a circle in the air over her. A flower crown materialized between her fingers and the top of the dog’s head. 

“What language is that?” Adora asked. It seemed like she would have to learn at least twelve to cast effectively- each spell was in a different language, depending on its origin. 

“Hawaiian. One of the first spells I learned as a kid.” She scratched at She-Ra’s ears, causing her grin to get even wider, her tongue lolling out of her mouth. 

Bow held up a bottle of cider and a mason jar of pink wine, one in each hand. “You want a drink?” He asked. 

Adora took the bottle and clinked it to the jar, then to everyone else’s drinks. “Cheers.” 

“To your first week at the Academy,” Bow added. 

“Yeah!” Perfuma didn’t have a drink, but she raised a cigarette that was definitely not filled with tobacco up in excitement. 

“You’ll do great!” Seahawk slung his arm around her shoulders. “You know, my first week at the academy, I set fire to a desk. Accidentally, of course. Simple transmutation gone awry.” 

“Don’t worry, it’s not common. Seahawk is just special that way. Nothing you need to worry about.” Mermista kissed his cheek before taking a seat next to Glimmer on her bed. 

“How are you adjusting?” Perfuma asked. 

Adora took a drink. “Um, okay I guess? I mean, the classes are interesting. And Glimmer and Bow have been taking good care of me. I miss my mortal friends, though.” She wished Catra was here. Maybe then she’d feel less like an out of place new kid. 

Mermista gave her a shocked look. “Mortals? You still talk to them?” _That was the reaction I was hoping to avoid._

Adora blushed and shrugged. “Yeah. I mean, I couldn’t just fall off the edge of the earth overnight. I care about them.” Adora reminded herself that the students here had never lived alongside the mortals. They didn’t have any friends to leave behind, because this was already their life.

“Right, yeah, but like… where do they think you are all the time?”

Adora took another drink. Socializing would be much easier this way. “Fancy boarding school.” She didn’t mention that she had a girlfriend who knew the truth. While not outright forbidden, it was highly frowned upon to tell a mortal that sort of thing.

Perfuma sat on one of the floor pillows cross-legged, and it looked so natural Adora thought perhaps that was exactly why Glimmer had floor pillows. She-Ra was laying on her back in front of Perfuma pathetically, happy for the extra attention. “I think it’s nice that you have friends from all walks of life.” She took another drag off her joint and went into a small coughing fit before passing it to Mermista.

Conversation of the mortals left behind stopped there, but it didn’t keep Adora from thinking about them. She missed Catra’s heterochromic eyes, and the way she called them “only thing hetero about me.” The universe patterned in freckles across her face. The Spanish rap blasting from her beat up car that she’d backed into no less than 3 stop signs, two of which Adora was in the passenger seat for. Little things and snippets of events flashed through Adora’s mind. For the past 12 years, essentially all Adora’s memorable life, they’d seen each other almost daily, cycling through each other’s houses in the summer, going camping, swimming at the pool for free the past couple years that Lonnie and Kyle had been lifeguards.

 _Now is not the time to wax nostalgic._ Adora consciously pushed her mortal life to the backburner of her mind. If she was going to manage two entirely separate lives, she’d have to work on her compartmentalization. It was time to be here, at the Academy, with her new classmates.

\-----

Adora woke up to her phone buzzing. “Hello?” 

“Wait, did you just wake up? Who are you and what did you do with my girlfriend?” Catra’s voice teased from the other end. Adora’s eyes went to the clock on her nightstand: 11:28, hours later than she usually woke up, even on Sunday mornings like this.

“Yeah,” She looked over and saw Glimmer sprawled out on her bed, pink hair pointing in all directions. Her eyes caught a pink sticky note under a glass of water that hadn’t been there the night before. _Drink up! I’m bringing brunch back for y’all. -Bow_ “I was up kinda late hanging out with a couple of my new classmates.” 

The phone was silent. “Catra?”

“Yeah.” Her voice was flat. “You have fun with your new friends?” If Catra was trying to hide her jealousy, it wasn’t working.

Adora’s memories from the night before reassembled themselves in her sleep-addled brain. Seahawk, several drinks in, serenading Mermista while she very pointedly ignored him and tried to hide her smile. Glimmer and Bow taking inspiration from this and singing love songs to She-Ra in tandem. Seahawk suggesting they acquire a car to set on fire and only insisting it was a joke after a dangerous look from Mermista, because apparently the desk catching fire on his first day was not an isolated incident. Perfuma, humming to herself while she braided small sections of her hair. Laughter to the point of tears. Moments where the room was loud with several conversations happening at once. A bet that Adora could beat Seahawk at arm wrestling that she won. Perfuma trying and failing to blow musical notes on the rims of empty cider bottles. Mermista subtly enchanting Seahawks’ moustache off, which he somehow didn’t notice until he tried to take a selfie of the two of them. Stories of their families, at least the fun ones. 

Yeah. Adora had fun. A lot more than she would admit to. Because Catra didn’t seem to understand that happy and sad were not mutually exclusive. Adora could miss her mundane life and have a blast in her magical one at the same time.

Adora decided to ignore her tone. It was too early. “It was alright, yeah. I missed you guys though.” She kept quiet, not wanting to wake Glimmer up. It seemed like she was a heavy enough sleeper Adora couldn’t have woken her if she tried, but better safe than sorry.

“I miss you too.” There was a long moment of silence. _Since when do we have so little to say?_ “But uh, I’m gonna go. Lonnie’s picking me and Kyle up to go to the movies. What are you doing today? You could come too.” She added hopefully.

Adora sighed, feeling guilty as ever. “I wish I could. I’m supposed to have a tutoring session with one of my professors.” It was Ms. Stevenson’s idea, making sure Adora had some of the basics of spellcasting down; she may not need the help now, but she had a feeling that things would get a lot more complicated in the not-so-distant future.

“Yeah, alright.” There was shuffling on Catra’s end. “Well, I’m gonna go. Let me know when you finally have time for your girlfriend, unless you have a new one of those too.” She hung up before Adora could respond.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter will be Catra's POV :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Catra's POV

To no one’s surprise, Catra was late for school. 

The receptionist in the office simply waved her on, knowing from experience Catra didn’t have a note and wasn’t particularly worried about it. 

Punctuality had never been her strong suit, but in the past month since Adora left school it had become much more pronounced. Without the insistent honking of the stupid little hybrid car her Aunts bought her, the disappointed looks, and occasional nagging, there was nothing stopping Catra from descending into tardiness. 

\-----

Unless you counted Scorpia, the classmate Catra had inadvertently adopted.

When there was suddenly a tall, muscular, short- haired girl in her English class, she thought immediately of the lesson she’d learned from her mother: Find the biggest kid on the playground and make friends with them. No one fucks with you that way. 

It didn’t go exactly as planned. 

Scorpia dressed mostly in skirts, and almost always wore a particular necklace, a dark red stone hanging like a teardrop off a thin gold chain. Sometimes there were matching earrings. She constantly went out of her way to be friendly. She was enthusiastic about _everything._ And it seemed there was very little filter between her brain and her mouth, but Catra liked that in people. It made them honest. She never had to guess what Scorpia was thinking. 

And Catra finally learned that people were right when they said you couldn’t judge a book by its cover. 

“Hey kitty,” It was a nickname that stuck immediately, much to Catra’s initial chagrin. “Do you want to go get frozen yogurt? I’m having a wicked craving.” 

“I was planning on going straight home and sitting on my bed listening to angry music, but I suppose I can clear out some time in my busy schedule for frozen yogurt.” 

\-----

There was one frozen yogurt shop in Etheria, and Catra had been there more in the past four weeks than her entire life. Scorpia had what some might classify as an addiction. And apparently her parents were loaded, so Catra didn’t feel too bad letting her pay just about every time. 

“Hey Entrapta!” Scorpia had, of course, learned the names of every cashier, and this one was usually here when they came in. Catra would roll her eyes, but working at the gas station had taught her that customers were usually rotten, especially the rich ones. It made her happy to know her friend was better than that. 

“Hey Scorpia!” Entrapta’s hair had been blue when the three of them had first met, but had been purple for the past week. She was their age but didn’t go to Etheria High; she was homeschooled, graduated a year early, and was now taking online community college courses. 

Scorpia pulled a lever and swirled strawberry banana in her cup, the end result almost perfect due to practice. She covered it in popping bobas, stopped, and then added one more spoonful. Catra went for lime and gummy bears. 

“What’d you get today?” Entrapta asked when they approached the register. She peeked into their cups when they placed them on the scale. 

“Strawberry banana.”

“Ooh, that’s one of my favorites. What about you, Catra?” 

“Lime.” 

Entrapta made a face. “Mm. Too sour for me.” 

Catra had to smile at the involuntary pucker in her lips. “I can respect that.” While Scorpia payed, she grabbed napkins. Their table, the one they sat at nearly every time, was in front of the window, right in the sun. When it got really slow and she had down time, or if she went on break, Entrapta would join them. 

Scorpia hummed happily. “I love these things. Do you know what they’re called? I don’t think there was a sign…” 

“They’re popping bobas. I’m pretty sure its Korean for boob or something.” 

“You’re kidding. Oh my god, that makes it even _better.”_ Catra could just barely hear Scorpia popping them in her mouth, and every time she did a tiny happy dance. “ It’s the little things in life, kitty. You have to enjoy the little things, they add up.” She’d told her time and time again. No one could call Scorpia a hypocrite, that was certain. 

They ate in quiet for a moment. “How’s Lonnie?” Because Scorpia seemed to remember just about everything Catra told her, she thought Scorpia was keeping tabs on her, her relationships, life events, schedule, everything. Then she realized the driving force behind the check-ins and questions was just sincere, unselfish interest. 

“They’re good. Busy with Soccer.” Lonnie had always been busy with soccer, but with Adora making plans they made it work. Adora leaving was like pulling the steering wheel out of the friend unit, right after you siphon off all the gas. Yeah, they said hi in the hallways and texted semi-frequently, and they were still lab partners in chemistry. But without Adora, they were sitting in neutral and occasionally revving the engine to no end whatsoever. 

Same story with Kyle, although if Catra was being honest with herself that started when he got a boyfriend, months before Adora left. He had managed to fade out gracefully, why couldn’t Adora have done the same? There was a gap everywhere Catra went shaped like Adora, and the worst part was the gap persisted even when Adora herself was there. 

“Hello? Earth to Catra?” Scorpia derailed her train of thought. It was for best though; Catra knew where that track led and it was nowhere good. 

“Lost in thought. Sorry.” In her hand was a spoonful of frozen yogurt hovering between her cup and her mouth. 

“Thinking about Adora?” Scorpia asked sympathetically. 

She couldn’t respond with her mouth full of lime, not that she wanted to. Instead she gave Scorpia a nod and a pained expression that probably exposed too much. “I don’t want to talk about it.” 

Her friend, bless her heart, only nodded. “If you ever do.” All Scorpia knew was that Catra had a girlfriend who recently transferred to a boarding school, so they hardly saw each other. Best to keep it that way, for now. But maybe one day. 

\-----

“You’re late, Catra.” Ms. Weaver snapped. Usually she was better about not being late to this particular class, simply because it wasn’t worth the time it would take to be lectured, but somehow the time between bells got away from her. 

“Yeah, I noticed that. My bad.” 

“After class.” She stared down her nose at Catra until she took her seat. Scorpia turned around in her chair the next row over to give her a sympathetic look, quickly turning back before Ms. Weaver noticed and reprimanded her, too. 

Catra doodled through the lesson, keeping it subtle enough approximately paragraph shaped to keep Ms. Weaver from noticing and tacking onto whatever punishment she was sure to give her after class. She knew this woman wasn’t going to listen to anything she said about how absentminded doodling helps her pay attention, despite studies Catra had briefly skimmed that showed giving your right brain something simple to do gave your left brain the opportunity to focus. Probably. 

When the bell rang Catra snapped out of a daydream about storming into whatever Academy Adora lived at now and demanding she come back. “See you in calc,” Scorpia gave her a small wave before joining the students leaving en masse. 

Catra stayed as she was in her seat. In her years of after class talking-tos she’d learned this was something of a power move. Something about standing next to a teacher’s desk expectantly made you 8 years old again. 

“Miss Riviera.” She was reminded every time her teacher said her name just how much she _despised_ her, though she couldn’t figure out what she’d done to warrant that. Weren’t adults supposed to be more level-headed and mature than the students they taught? “This is the fifth time this month you have been late to my class.” Another teacher, in another world, may have asked Catra _why_ she was late, try to understand her. Help, if they could. Listen. Somehow Adora managed to get those teachers, even though she rarely gave them reason to complain. 

“Yeah, I had to stay after my last class with Mr. Abbott to ask a couple homework questions.” Catra had learned during the first week of the semester not to outright lie to Ms. Weaver, as she would actually check with the other teachers and double her punishment if Catra was lying. 

“We’ll see.” She seemed to be in no hurry to say whatever it is she needed to say to Catra. “I noticed your _friend_ Adora left school quite suddenly, I do hope everything is alright.” _Really? She had to be late to her next class because this bitch wanted to chat about Adora?_

“Yeah. She’s fine. Something better came up.” 

“Mm. Indeed. How sad for you.” There was no sympathy in her voice. 

“Am I dismissed?” Catra asked, impatient. 

“Yes. Take care to arrive on time from now on, it’s not that hard.” Catra ignored her and packed her things up immediately when given permission to do so. “Tell Adora hello for me,” the request made her skin crawl. 

There was probably 30 seconds before the bell would ring for next period, but Catra walked past her calc classroom, out the front door, and to her car in the parking lot. She could feel the tears ready behind her eyes but willed them to stay in until she got out of the building. These people would _not_ see her crying. 

Her willpower came at a cost; the second she shut the door she erupted into angry sobbing, a white knuckle grip on the steering wheel. Her chest heaved. _How did she know just what to say? How can she get to me so easily?_ Catra’s heart had been on her sleeve for maybe fourteen seconds in her entire life; so what made her so vulnerable to Ms. Weaver? “Oh yeah, like you’ve been real subtle about how fucked up you are over Adora leaving,” She muttered to herself. 

She reached for her phone and called Adora; after two rings she hung up. Now wasn’t the time. 

Recently, no time was the time.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Adora's POV

“I just don’t understand why you only get to come home once a week. Why do you have to stay there during the weekend?” It wasn’t the first time this issue had come up between the two. Adora couldn’t fault Catra; they had gone from seeing each other every day to being lucky to get an evening together once a week. 

This was the way it had to be, though. “Because I have homework, and we have Mass on Saturday, and there’s usually something semi-required on Sunday.” Adora didn’t mention that this was usually some sort of social event- and her absence _would_ be noted and likely questioned, if not by her new friends than by the High Priestess herself. 

And then there was the matter of her Aunt Hope, who insisted she spend all her time at the Academy and pestered her with questions and doubt when she did come home for the day. 

“Right, because we’ve never done homework together.” Adora could hear the eye roll over the phone. 

“I can’t do my homework in front of you, Catra. You’re not supposed to see. You’re not even supposed to know.” Did she not understand that if Angella or Aunt Hope found out she’d told Catra, this would all become ten times more difficult? 

She scoffed. “Apparently I’m not allowed to know anything about your life anymore. What happened to nothing having to change, Adora?” That stung, because Catra was right. They were only two and a half months in and already things had changed more than Adora originally expected. Even though she’d told the larger, overarching secret, there were still so many day to day secrets she had to keep. Funny anecdotes and stories about her classes joined the collection of Things She Couldn’t Tell Mortals, which nowadays was just the Things She Couldn’t Tell Catra. “Awkwardly silent phone calls where we just say ‘yeah’ and ‘I miss you’ and then doing it in person once a week doesn’t really hold a candle to what we had before, what you said it would be.” 

Glimmer came in, moving quietly when she saw Adora with a finger to her lips on the phone giving her a pained expression. “I’m sorry that there are a lot of things that happen in my life I can’t tell you about. But soon it’ll be Winter Break and I’ll have a whole two weeks off and then it can be just like old times, just you and me.” 

“Whatever Adora.” She could hear Catra’s mom yelling in the background. “I have to go.”

“Catra wait-” Click. Before she had even registered the hurt she was crying, loudly enough that Glimmer put the book she was pretending to read down and came over to sit next to Adora on her bed and started to rub her back. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Glimmer asked once the crying slowed. 

Adora nodded, blowing her nose in a tissue from her nightstand and sniffling. “I just… I don’t know what she wants me to do. I can’t just go back to Etheria High and leave magic behind. But I can’t just cut her out of my life either.” She sniffled again. _Everything will go back to normal when I’m back at home for winter break._ She didn’t fully believe the thought. 

“I’m sure you guys will be able to work it out.” Glimmer gave her a reassuring smile. 

The door opened and Bow strolled in; when he saw the state Adora was in, he stopped suddenly. “I’m sorry guys, should I go? Am I interrupting?” 

She shook her head. “I’m okay, honestly.” She’d cried it out and said it out loud, and it was time to forget about this bump in the road. “I could use a distraction.” 

“Say no more.” Glimmer grinned and hopped off the bed, going over to the bookshelf on top of her desk. “As you already know, the night before break we have Solstice. Now, I won’t spoil the ritual, because I only know what happens because of my mom, but the party afterwards isn’t a surprise.” She handed Adora the book, the cover ivory white. “This is a book of glamour spells I “borrowed” from my mom. We’re gonna roll up to that party hot as shit, so we should start practicing.” 

Adora skimmed the table of contents. Most of the spells that interested her were more obscure than she expected, less actual modification and more general aura enhancers. “We should probably invite Mermista and Perfuma,” Adora said, still reading, “they’ll kill us if we hold out on them.” 

“You are not wrong… I’ll go knock and see.” Glimmer hopped up. Adora finally found the spell she assumed Glimmer used for hair sparkles and made a note of the page number. 

“Where is the magic book that’s gonna make me hot?” Mermista threw the door open. 

“You’re already hot.” Perfuma said, carefully closing the door behind her. She-Ra trotted over to the door to whine at her feet until Perfuma gave in and scratched behind her ears, which usually didn’t take long. 

In the end, Mermista decided she wanted to have “an aura of intrigue and mystery,” which she already had, from Adora’s memories of first meeting her; Adora was doing hair sparkles and a spell that would cloak her increasing anxious ticks; Bow just wanted to smell like cinnamon rolls all night; and Perfuma was content to conjure as many flowers as her heart desired. 

“What about you, Glimmer?” Adora asked. Considering she provided the book, she seemed rather unenthusiastic. 

“Oh, I’m good. I stay glamoured up.” Somehow she managed to do this without Adora noticing. “Have you met my mother? She’s a lot to live up to.” It made her sad to think her friend felt the need for constant magical enhancements just to feel like enough. 

“I cannot wait for this party, guys. And it’s only half because I know Seahawk won’t be there because he went home a couple days early.” At some point in the last month, they had broken up; it was hard to tell exactly when. “I’m going to look amazing and find someone hot and _not Seahawk_ to hook up with and then go home and sleep for a week. This is my time to shine.” 

\-----

_She was in the woods.  
Fire. Glass breaking. Shadows moving like fingers. The smell of fireworks. A dog’s howl. A blond woman with a gun. _

Adora bolted upright in bed, very suddenly wide awake. 

The images flashed through her mind. A dream had never felt so visceral; she could still smell the gunpowder, the smoke of burning trees. 

_Breathe, Adora. It was just a nightmare. You’re okay._ She looked over at Glimmer, collapsed on her bed on top of the covers and still in her party dress, deeply asleep. She-Ra was whining at the foot of the bed. Adora crawled down onto the floor and scratched behind her ears, immediately feeling the nightmare-related weight lift. “Thanks buddy.” 

The clock said 7:02- it was earlier than Adora wanted to get up, considering how late she stayed up last night, but there was no use trying to go back to sleep. It wasn’t going to happen. 

Instead, she turned her lamp on and took out a notebook, committed to recording and remembering as much from the night before as possible. 

_The Moonstone gave off a faint glow. The High Priestess stood in front of it with her arms spread, somehow also faintly glowing._

_Lines of light radiated from the stone to Angella, from Angella though the circle, from the stone to each student. Each connected to the other._

_The circle was swaying and chanting. Adora didn’t know the words- she didn’t need to. All she needed was to open her mouth and let the song sing through her._

_She was thrumming like the night of her initiation but stronger, more steadily._

_Adora’s mind had gone elsewhere, like she was dreaming while awake. Something important happened, but the memory was gone the second she came back to herself._

_There was a web of energy surrounding the Yule Log, on fire without burning._

_There was music, but she couldn’t tell where it was coming from._

_The High Priestess, the professors, and the coven members were downstairs in the basement, having their own adult party._

_The energy from the ritual hadn’t left, just shifted. It sat around Adora’s shoulders and up her neck._

_Mermista, Perfuma, and Bow were dancing together, surrounded by other dancing clusters. Glimmer handed her a drink that shimmered gold and fizzed ferociously._

_The world was a swirl of colored lights and music come to life. She felt effervescent. She felt alive._

Everything jumbled together- one of the downsides of trance states- but she wrote what she could. There were too many things she didn’t want to forget, and she couldn’t risk leaving them floating around in her head. 

\-----

Adora’s room in her Aunts’ house looked the same on the surface, but being in it felt a world away. Her poster, lamp, and bedspread were the same; The same knick knacks and high school athletic trophies littered her dresser and the top of her bookcase, dustier than she would’ve allowed if she really lived here. Most of her clothes were at the Academy, her toiletries, her extra chargers; she hadn’t realized how removed she was from that house until she had to pack her bag for the two weeks she’d be staying. She felt like a ghost visiting her previous life as some sort of emotional tourism. 

_I’m nervous. Why am I nervous about Catra coming over?_

_Oh wait, because our entire relationship hinges on my being able to make this week so perfect she forgets she’s mad about me transferring schools and we can start the new year fresh._


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Catra's POV
> 
> This chapter was brought to you by: poor communication

Catra had started riding to and from school with Scorpia. The tires on her car needed replacement, and the heater made a weird growly sound, and she didn’t have the money to deal with either of those things - and it _did_ force her to be on time every day. 

What she didn’t say out loud was that part of it was how much she enjoyed spending time with Scorpia. It was rare for Catra to find someone who she trusted and _liked_ enough to have real, deep conversations. And sure, Scorpia could be a lot, but no one was perfect. 

“Adora’s coming home for winter break today,” Catra tried to sound nonchalant, but she wasn’t sure she succeeded. 

It didn’t really matter anyway. Scorpia was definitely not going to be nonchalant. “Really? That’s awesome!” She grinned. “I’m so happy for you. I know it’s been rough.” The thing that was really bizarre to Catra was that she _meant_ it. Scorpia could just be happy for other people. Even when she got nothing in return. 

Sometimes, Scorpia made her want to be a better person. Which was a weird thought to have. 

Scorpia didn’t turn the car off like she usually did when they got to Catra’s. “Hey. Can I tell you something weird?” 

“Shoot.” Catra loved weird as much as she loved being told secrets _just in case_ she needed blackmail material years later. 

“Well… you’ve lived here all your life, right? You’ve… heard the stories?” 

“You gotta be more specific, man.” 

“The ones about,” She lowered her voice, even though they were still in the car, “witches, the ones who used to live here. The 13 that were killed by witch hunters.” Her eyes were wide. 

Catra would’ve felt like she was at a middle school sleepover if it wasn’t for the sincerity. That, and the fact that she knew witches were real. “Yeah, course. What about them?” 

“My… my family moved here because of it. Promise not to laugh?” Catra stuck her pinkie out for a promise in response. “My family have been witch hunters for generations. There’s a whole network of them underground. My dad heard there was a huge number of them here, a really dangerous coven.” 

Catra’s blood ran cold. What were the odds there were two covens in Etheria? “What kind of dangerous?”

Scorpia briefly looked surprised by the question, but shook it off. “Devil worship. Necromancy. Murder. Cannibalism. You name it.” The confusion caught back up to her. “You’re taking this exceptionally well, even for someone who grew up with the stories.”

“Let’s just say this isn’t the first time I’ve been told those are more than stories.” Catra’s mind raced. Was Adora being forced to carry out dark rituals? Or worse, had they somehow turned Adora dark? The Adora she knew would _never_ murder someone, let alone eat them after. “Thanks for the ride. I’m really excited to go see Adora.” She couldn’t afford to stay and give Scorpia more time to ask questions.

“Of course!” She smiled; faltered. “I didn’t freak you out, did I?” Her face fell. 

“Scorpia, please. I promise my mind is freakier than yours. And I believe you.” In an impulsive moment affection, she kissed Scorpia’s forehead as reassurance. “Talk to you later.” 

“Bye! Tell Adora hi for me!” She pulled out of the driveway, leaving Catra wait until Adora texted her. 

\-----

Scorpia’s words were still rolling around in Catra’s head as she drove to Adora’s house. She couldn’t work out how Adora could worship the devil, kill for him - but as legend goes, that _was_ what the witches from the stories did. She always thought it was Christian propaganda, but she couldn’t be sure of anything anymore. 

She wasn’t even sure Adora would tell her the truth if she asked. So she decided not to. 

Within 20 minutes, she was drinking hot chocolate in the bay window of Adora’s room. This was one of their favorite places to sit, especially in winter. 

If Catra ignored the small threads of doubt, it felt just like old times. Right down to her annoying ass dog. 

When they ran through all of their small-talk talking points, they sat in uncomfortable silence and pretended it was comfortable. 

Throughout the week, Adora mentioned absolutely nothing about her school, her classes, her new friends, not even her aunts anymore. _Is her life really that steeped in magic now? There’s no part she can tell me about?_

It did nothing to reassure Catra of the safety of Adora’s situation. 

Catra was pretty sure Adora was aware of the barrier between them, the awkwardness that seemed to accompany all their interactions now. Mostly because every time they began to fall into uncomfortable silence, Adora would kiss Catra deeply, weaving her fingers through her hair and gently biting her lip. 

Catra did not complain. Using intimacy as a bandage over whatever the fuck was happening to their relationship wasn’t sustainable, but damn was it fun. 

\-----

Getting Adora to talk about anything magical was like pulling teeth. She tried, on numerous occasions, to ask about the type of work they did at school or what kind of spells she could do. Even tried looking for her textbooks- _she had to have textbooks or something, right?_ She had no luck on either front. 

It was hard to believe that Adora, the girl who actually defended strangers from bullies, who cried when she saw a dead fox in the woods, who shared endless “heartfelt” stories on Facebook... could be in a murdering, cannibalizing, demon-worshipping cult. _Then again, do I even know her anymore? Obviously she’s not the same person she used to be, and it’s not like we talk enough for me to know this new version of my girlfriend._

The two were binge watching something Adora picked out when there was a knock on the bedroom door. “Yeah?” 

Adora’s aunt opened the door just enough for her head. “Adora, Glimmer is here. Would you come down for a moment?” 

_What the hell kind of name is that?_ Adora looked concerned. Why did she need to be concerned. “I’ll be right back, “ Catra watched as she followed her aunt downstairs, show forgotten. She waited until the creaking on the stairs stopped and then quietly got off the bed, opened the door, and sat halfway down the stairs. If Adora wasn’t going to tell her anything, fine. She’d find out for herself. Catra was a sneak master. 

Adora’s voice floated from the foyer. “Glimmer? What’s-” Suddenly Catra heard nothing. It was like someone had shut soundproof door between them. _What the hell?_ She heard the click of the stupid boots Adora’s Aunt Hope always wore and receded back to Adora’s bedroom. 

How had it gone _that silent?_

The show was still playing on Adora’s laptop, and by the time Adora came back it was halfway through the next episode. 

She paused it the second the door opened and Adora came in. “How’s Glimmer? And while we’re at it, who’s Glimmer?” 

“She’s a friend from school. Catra, I’m really sorry, but I have to go. Something came up.” Of course. Of fucking course. Did she plan all this? Get her friend to come bail her out with some lie about a secret job they needed to do right now? Or was their time really that unimportant to Adora that someone could show up with an idea and she would run off and do it right fucking then? “I wouldn’t go but it’s time sensitive and extremely important, like fate of the world shit-”

“Yeah, okay Adora. You gonna go play hero? Or is this all just a ruse so you don’t have to sit here and not talk to me about your life?” Catra shut the laptop and stood up. She wasn’t going to do this with Adora towering over her. 

Her face fell. “Catra, I don’t _want_ to leave. I’m sorry I can’t tell you more, but I promise I wouldn’t go if I didn’t have to.” 

“What about everything else then, huh? What about how all I hear from you is ‘how was your day?’ and ‘I miss you’ and ‘I love you’ now? What about how you promised me nothing had to change and then disappeared overnight?” Catra wasn’t thinking now, just letting it pour out of her. It needed to come out. She was done playing the cool girlfriend who made all the compromising. “Where the fuck did you go, Adora? What did they turn you into?” 

Adora’s nostrils flared. “They didn’t turn me into anything. They helped me become myself.” She looked so haughty like this, standing too-straight and looking down her nose at Catra. Damn their height difference. 

Catra laughed. “Do you hear yourself right now? Everyone who has ever said that is in a cult or a gang.”

“Why do you insist on fighting about shit you don’t even know _anything_ about, Catra?” Her voice was like razors. 

“Why do you insist on me not knowing anything?” She shot back. 

“Honestly? Because you can’t even fucking imagine. There is nothing I could tell you that would make you understand.” _What a bullshit excuse._

“You’ve always had a superiority complex, but jesus christ, your friends must be real enablers huh?”

“If the word you’re looking for is encourager, yes. Not that you’d know anything about that. Is there anything you’re _not_ negative about? Is it possible for you to just be happy for me that I’m growing as a person and have friends that support me?” 

“You know, you used to support me. And I supported you. We had an agreement that we would take care of and love each other and do life together. Us normal humans call it a relationship.”

“And that means I have to spend all of my time with you?” 

Did she really think it was this black and white? That it was every waking moment, or this? “I would be happy with just any amount of time, at all. Time when you’re actually present and let me into your new life so that we can actually be together.” 

Adora huffed. “Can you say what you want to say to me? Get it over with.” 

Catra’s blood boiled. She wanted to hear it? Fine. “You left me! You think you’re better than everyone because you supposedly have magic. You think you’re above the rules and common fucking decency. You think ghosting on your girlfriend to join a cult while telling her everything is fine and Not Changing At All is acceptable behavior after we’ve spent over a decade looking after each other, being the most important person in the other’s life. You need constant praise and for some reason every authority figure of your life has given it to you and seen me as the bane of your existence. Oh, don’t give me that look, I know your aunts don’t like me, and neither have any of our teachers. I was just the stray you adopted and I was _so lucky_ you decided to take pity on me. Do you realize what it’s like, being your friend, your girlfriend?” Catra was crying now, and her throat burned from her attempted suppression. “And I’m done.” 

Adora’s face was conflicted and hard to read. It looked like it did when Adora told her she made Varsity when Catra didn’t, mixed how it looked the time Adora accidentally kicked sand into Kyle’s eyes on the playground when they were kids. “If that’s really how you feel you should probably go.” A sob escaped her and Adora started to cry too, refusing to look at Catra. 

Catra grabbed her purse, feeling like she was in a trance. Did she really just say all of that to Adora? Did she really just _break up_ with her? 

It disturbed her that the most noticeable feeling churning in her stomach was relief. She stopped in front of Adora on her way out of the room, looking at her until she returned Catra’s gaze. 

“Don’t call me.” She told her before opening and slamming the door, already scrolling through her contacts to call Scorpia. 

“Can you pick me up? I’m at the Spellman Mortuary.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We knew it was coming folks :(
> 
> (And yes, that was a silencing spell)


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Adora's POV

Adora sat down on her bed and stared at the door that had just been slammed. Did...did Catra just break up with her? 

Yeah. That just happened. 

The tears welled up in her eyes, but she didn’t let them take her over. This was _not_ the time. 

Apparently a mortal girl, Leyla Winthrop, had gone missing a couple hours away the night before. The police weren’t taking it seriously yet, but Glimmer had overheard Angella and a man she didn’t recognize discussing it. The man seemed to think it was somehow related to another coven, one with much more nefarious intentions. “If this is magic related, they’ll probably have some sort of ritual to do to the body for 3 days. I’ve seen manuscripts of theoretical human sacrifice, but if there’s a coven out there actually performing it… I can’t imagine.” Glimmer had told her in hushed tones. “And if the human witch hunters catch wind of it we’ll all be in deep shit. I found a spell to find something, or someone, that’s lost. It isn’t easy, but it’s doable. Probably. A couple of the ingredients are tricky. We can talk about it more back at the Academy. And this is secret, don’t tell your aunt, don’t tell my mom- they can find out when we pull it off. Bow knows, obviously, and he’s helping.” 

It didn’t matter that her heart had shattered into a million pieces, and that the path she was on had just disintegrated before her eyes. Glimmer needed her. Leyla Winthrop needed her. 

Aunt Hope was sitting in the den, sipping from a wine glass. “I’m going to the Academy.” Adora grabbed her coat and purse from the hook. 

“Catra left in quite a hurry, is everything alright?” Adora knew better than to think her aunt actually cared- at best she would be relieved to be rid of her niece’s ‘distraction.’ 

“No, you’ll be happy to hear she decided she’s done with me. I don’t have the time, and honestly don’t want to talk about it, I have to go meet Glimmer.” She didn’t wait for a response. 

\-----

She-Ra appeared out of the shadows when Adora walked into their dorm building and walked in with her. When she opened the door, she found Bow sitting in his spot and Glimmer on the floor, books spread out around her. “Alright here, read the manuscript. I need fresh eyes.” She held it up in the air and Adora grabbed it, sitting down on her bed cross-legged. 

It wasn’t a spell, with ingredients and instructions. Instead it was a story about an old witch who lived alone in the woods, who was performing this spell in an effort to bring back her lost lover. She first found a reflective, shiny, dark grey-black stone and placed it in a silver bowl. She had to gather Starfire Seed, a flower that only grew on the east side of a particular volcanic island that was not named, and only during the brief three days of the May Feast. She then soaked it water that had absorbed the light of a full moon cycle. She anointed a photo of her beloved with the flower water and placed it where she wanted to draw her to on a map of the woods. There was a chant too, luckily transcribed.

What she didn’t know, however, was that the woman she loved was not only missing, but dead. And no magic a decent person could stomach could bring back the dead. 

“But it should, theoretically, work for us. As long as we finish it before midnight on Friday- she went missing on Tuesday, and I will bet anything they started the ritual process at midnight. So, what are your thoughts?” 

“Uhm. Well. It’s not ideal. I mean, the only thing that’s actually defined is the flower, which only grows in a specific, mysterious location. And even if we found it and the stone tomorrow, we’d need to charge the water for 28 days. So… we’re fucked?” This was good. Adora needed a project to wholeheartedly throw herself into. Something to focus on that didn’t feel like someone was stabbing the center of her heart- 

“Maybe not. I’m pretty sure I know what the stone is- Hematite. It fits the physical description, and it’s magnetic, so it makes sense it would be used to draw someone somewhere.” Bow dropped two stones in her hand, heavy and smooth as glass. They reverberated as the magnetism pulled them together. 

_“We’re like magnets... Just drawn to each other by nature. Maybe the stardust we’re made out of came from the same star.”_

_“You really are dramatic, princess. But… you’re not wrong. We belong together.”_

Adora shook her head to clear out the memory. “Well, what about the flower? Do we have any heading on the Island? What phase of the moon are we in now?”

Glimmer groaned. “It’s full on Friday. Which figures, for their ritual’s purposes. But yeah, definitely not crescent. And no, I have no fucking clue where this island is. I’m looking through everything I can find about herbalism, volcanos, whatever… nada.” 

“We might be able to get ahold of some moon water. It’s not an uncommon ingredient, we could send out some kind of memo about needing some and replacing it afterwards, but that is up in the air, as of yet.” Bow added. 

“What about Perfuma?” Adora asked. 

“Haven’t asked, didn’t want word getting out.” Glimmer put a handful of pretzels in her mouth. 

“This is literally right in the middle of her wheelhouse.”

“And I bet if anyone has moon water, it’s Mermista!” Adora was elated- this little stunt might actually work, they could use their powers for good and save an innocent girl. 

Glimmer chewed thoughtfully and chased it down with energy drink that said organic but definitely wasn’t. “You’re right. Their fields of study are creepily convenient. That’s some synchronicity shit. Alright, time’s of the essence. Can someone go get them? I honestly just don’t want to get up.” 

“Here, I’ll text them.” Bow pulled his phone from his pocket. “How’s break, Adora?” There was nothing wrong with the question, but Adora groaned internally. 

“It’s uh, it’s okay. I mean, it’s been kind of rough. With Catra, I mean. We got in a fight. I don’t know why I said that, that’s not true, we broke up. She broke up with me. She called me a narcissist and said I abandoned- uhm, but, yeah, it’s been okay.” Adora stopped herself quickly. This was going to spiral _quick_ and they definitely didn’t have time for that. 

“Wait, what the fuck?” 

“What she said! What happened??” 

She sighed. “Guys, it’s okay. We have to do this, now. And Perfuma and Mermista are coming over and I don’t want to have like, a literal and actual pity party. Leyla comes first.” 

Bow got up and sat next to Adora on her bed, wrapping his arms around her and leaning in. Glimmer joined on the other side. “When we finish this, we’ll get Seahawk to buy us that good Zinfandel box wine and have a full venting session, with ice cream.” She promised. “But you’re right. We do not have an abundance of time. I’m sorry you’re hurting.” 

“Thanks. I love you guys.” Adora gave them both a squeeze before sucking all her emotions up and tightening the lid. “Back to it. You ‘borrow’ a silver bowl from the supply closet yet?” 

 

Glimmer went to her bag on the floor, books spilling out. “You know I did,” She held the bowl up by the rim. 

“Alright. Perfuma’s on her way. Mermista didn’t text me back yet, but Perfuma would probably know if she keeps moon water,” Bow said, filling a glass with water from their filter. 

“Least fun topic to bring up, but… what if there is another coven, and they are involved? What if they retaliate?” Adora tried to phrase it delicately. 

“Once we save Leyla and figure out who took her, we’ll tell my mom about it. She’ll be able to handle it from there. If it is another coven, they are way out of their depth; this is too public to be sustainable.” Adora wasn’t sure the High Priestess was a fan of Glimmer’s Do First, Ask Later policy, but she said nothing. It was family business.

“Please drink actual water. You know those things don’t actually have to be organic to put it on the label.” Bow handed the glass to Glimmer, who made a face at him, but still drank it. 

“Hey you guys,” Perfuma came in several minutes later, snow in her hair. 

“Hey Perfuma.” Bow took his seat. “You know where Mermista is?” 

 

“Hawaii, with Seahawk. He wanted to take her sailing, and she refused to go to Florida under any circumstances including life or death.” She hung her coat on the single, overworked coat hanger mounted on the door. “I know how to get a hold of her, if need be. What’s going on that’s so urgent? Is everything okay?” 

Glimmer put her metaphorical business hat back on. “Cliffnotes version is that a mortal girl went missing, she may have been kidnapped for ritual sacrifice by a coven on the Path of Night, and we have until Friday to bring her back. We have a spell,” Adora held up the manuscript, and Perfuma sat next to her and read it over. “But we are missing two ingredients, one that I’m hoping you can help us find, and the other that Mermista may have. Do you know if she keeps water charged by the moon for four weeks? And have you ever heard of that flower? Do you know where it grows?” 

Her eyes were still scanning the page. “Hmm. Well, I think Mermista has various kinds of moon water for spell, work, I wouldn’t be surprised if one of them fits that criteria. We can call and ask. As for the flower…” She rolled the paper up neatly. “I have no idea where it grows, I’ve never heard of it. But now that I Know it, I can do you one better.” A flower Adora had never seen that looked like it would be named Starflower Seed materialized in Perfuma’s palm. “Agardh’s translocation.” 

“Oh, shit…” Bow stepped closer and reached out to hold it. “Is it… is it really gonna be this easy?” 

“This is a good sign. The fact that the very things you need are the easiest things for us to provide is-” 

“Synchronicitous. Yeah,” Glimmer finished. “Can we call Mermista? Does she have a secret emergency phone or something?” 

Perfuma shook her head. “More of a secret phrase. She has her phone, she’s just ignoring literally everything except whatever feed she’s scrolling through. But if I text her this, she will absolutely respond. I can’t tell you what it is, but I will use it to get her to call you.” 

_Hang on Leyla. We’re coming._

\-----

“Which one of my posts made me universally hated on the internet?” Mermista groaned on the other end. Adora could hear something that was probably the waves breaking on the beach, garbled through speakerphone. 

“Good news, none of them! It’s Glimmer and Bow and Adora. I have a super super life-or-death favor to ask.” Glimmer said into the speaker of Perfuma’s phone. 

“Ugh. Fine, I’m already on the phone, might as well be a hero. What do you need?” 

“Water that’s been charged under the moon for a full 28-week cycle? We can totally make some and give you more in a month, but we need it by Friday.” 

“Mhm, yeah, I see how that could be a problem. But yeah, I have a mason jar full of it in my supply box, labeled with O 28day, flowers knows where I keep it. Use whatever, I don’t have anything in particular planned in the next month ritual wise.”

“Thank you Mermista, you are a lifesaver!” Bow fist-pumped in the air. 

“Obviously. I’m going back to laying on a beach and drinking out of a coconut, good luck with whatever y’all are doing. I expect to hear it all when I get back.”

“You know you will. Have fun, bye!” 

“Byeee.” 

Adora let out a sigh of relief. Bowl, check. Moon water, check. Hematite, check. Starfire flower? Check. They could do this. Hell, they could do this _tonight._ All that was left was a photo of Leyla. 

“Perfuma, you gave me an idea. I can translocate a photo of her from her house, like how I teleport, and you conjure flowers!” 

Adora puckered her face. “How come? Wouldn’t it be risky?”

“Yes, but it’ll also help.” Glimmer threw another handful of pretzels in her mouth and passed the bag to Perfuma. “Think about it. I’m sure her parents have actual printed photos, and they probably have a box of them they don’t have memorized. They’ve been soaking in her energy for as long as they’ve existed. We won’t even need to do an association on the picture!” She had a point. 

Glimmer sat up straight and sat cross-legged. After a moment of stillness, a photo appeared in her hand in the blink of an eye. “Holy fuck. Alright guys, let’s start infusing that moonwater. Meet back here tomorrow at noon for the ritual.”

\-----

Between then and noon on Thursday, they deep cleaned the bedroom. If they were bringing heavy ritual work in here, they wouldn’t be thwarted by ethereal dust bunnies. 

“So, are we bringing her here?” Adora asked. “I was gonna go print or otherwise find a map.” 

“Not ideally, no. She won’t be able to get into the dorm, it’ll draw attention. We need to keep this totally quiet so my mom can handle it however she wants.” 

“What about my aunts’ house?” 

“That could work.” Bow nodded. “As long as you can stay home for a couple days to see when she shows up. Spell says that if it works, it’ll work within 24 hours.” Oh. Yeah. Adora hadn’t thought about that, staying in her old room, living in her mortal life, her skin too small for what she was becoming. And, mostly, it would be impossible to not think about Catra. 

Glimmer must have sensed her panic. “We can have a sleepover! I love creepy.” 

“I do not love creepy, but I do love you. I’m in.” 

Adora could’ve cried, if that was something she was allowing herself to do, about how good her friends were to her. “Alright. Yeah, let’s do it.” 

Perfuma knocked on their door at 11:45. “I didn’t trust myself to be on time.” 

Each witch stood in a corner of the rug, a circle marked around it. They moved in complete synchronicity, fingers weaving into sigils to set the circle. 

Adora recognized the language they were chanting in as Estonian last night when they’d practiced, which made her feel a little less insecure than she had at the beginning of the school year. Magic was intuitive, and for that she was grateful. 

A printed map of Etheria, zoomed in to allow the small school photo Glimmer had conjured to fit over the mortuary- the last thing they needed was a kidnapped and possibly almost-sacrificed mortal girl wandering around the neighborhood-was sitting in the middle of the rug with the photo, now soggy and blurred, sitting on it and under the hematite rocks. 

They sent tethers out through the ether, all in search of Leyla Winthrop. _Bring her home, bring her home, bring her home._

Somehow the room was full of wind, blowing her hair in every direction and adding a whistling to their chant. 

The energy built like a tornado, spiraling around the circle and spinning until Adora couldn’t hear herself think. 

And then all of a sudden there was silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The church of night won't play into this story, but it is the other coven, and it's the one Scorpia heard about.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! It's taken me a little longer than usual to post this, thank you for your patience :) 
> 
> Catra's POV

Catra didn’t explain until they were in Scorpia’s room, sitting on her rug cross-legged with an assortment of snacks in between. If she didn’t give it a chance to settle down in her chest she may have started crying again. “So… we broke up. More specifically, I broke up with her.” The words came easily. This had been what she wanted. If she was being honest with herself, they had emotionally ‘de-coupled’ long before tonight. 

Scorpia nodded thoughtfully. She didn’t seem all that surprised, but then again, it was Scorpia, and Catra’s poker face the last few months wasn’t as good as she like to think. “You wanna talk about it?” 

Catra paused for a handful of grapes. “Adora told me in October that she was transferring to some private school her aunt wanted to enroll her in immediately. Like, three day notice. And it’s a boarding school so I basically never saw her.” It didn’t matter how mad Catra was at Adora- that was not a secret you told. It would be worse than leaking nudes _and_ credit card information. It could get her killed. 

“She stopped talking to me - I mean, we chatted, but she never actually _said_ anything, we never had real conversations anymore. But she kept telling me nothing had to change and it could be the same as it always was, even though it already had.” She shifted; her legs were going numb. “And I was sick of just hanging out in limbo waiting for her to show up.” 

Scorpia listened in earnest. “That’s totally unfair. You deserve so much better.” It took Catra aback. She realized that no one had ever said Catra was too good for Adora- it was always Adora who was too good for Catra. 

“Yeah. I mean… it hurts. It hurts that she did that. That she dropped me like that. That she made me feel weak and needy. That she didn’t even notice our relationship dying,” Catra’s voice began to strain, and she took a breath. Her emotions lived in a Pandora’s box; if she were to unlock it, the horrors would escape and consume her. “But it’s what she did, so I’m not sorry. I’m better off this way.” Consequences. Somehow Adora had avoided them for most of her life. Well, not anymore. 

“You’re not weak or needy for wanting someone you’re in a relationship to connect with you.” Scorpia said softly. 

“Right? Last time I checked that was kind of the point.” She knew Scorpia was sympathizing, not pitying, but her tone was making Catra nervous. Unconditional compassion was unfamiliar and therefore dangerous. 

“That’s what I’ve heard. I wouldn’t know.” Scorpia looked down at her lap. 

“Wait, you’ve never dated anyone? I’m not judging.” She rushed to clarify. Honestly, good for her. Catra had done the relationship thing and walked away with jack shit.  
She was done thinking about Adora; she’d mulled over it enough. She mourned their relationship weeks ago. “Have you ever had a crush on someone?” 

“Yeah, a couple times.” Scorpia shrugged and reached up to run her hand through her hair. “But it’s so intimidating, telling people that. So I just never did. They probably wouldn’t have been interested anyway. I’ve always kind of been the weird awkward kid. This is honestly the first time I’ve actually bonded with people.” She shrugged again, looking dejected. 

It hurt Catra to see her friend look so downcast, especially since usually she was a ray of literal sunshine. “Hey. Just because you think a little differently doesn’t make you weird. I like you the way you are. Fuck those people who made you feel inferior just because you didn’t fit in.” 

“Thanks kitty.” She gave her a smile and grabbed a handful of chips. “I like you too.” 

“To be honest, this kind of friendship is new for me too,” Catra admitted. “I mean, I’ve always had Adora and Lonnie and Kyle, but looking back our bonds were pretty shallow. We were in the same kindergarten class, lived pretty close together, liked to pull the same kind of shenanigans. But I wasn’t really emotionally open to them. Other than Adora, anyway, and look how that turned out,” Catra sighed. 

Scorpia looked thoughtful while she chewed. “Hey. Can I be a motivational speaker for a second?”

There was no one else Catra would tolerate this for, of that she was certain. “Be my guest.” 

“You probably learned more from your relationship with Adora than with the others, right? Because it was more emotional?”

Catra shifted. “Yeah, I guess.”

“And I’m guessing that when it _was_ good, it was a lot more fulfilling.” 

“Yeah. It was, now that I think about it.” There was a time in the not so distant past that Catra was the happiest she’d ever been. She had thought it was the happiest she’d ever be. _God, I hope not.”_

“Well, one failed relationship isn’t a good reason to close your heart off forever. And if you learned something, it wasn’t really failed anyway. Everyone has a lesson to teach you, one way or another.” 

Scorpia was definitely the only one who could tell Catra that. But she wasn’t wrong. “You give pretty good advice for someone who’s never been in a relationship.” 

“I have a more objective view this way.”

Catra decided not to mention that that rendered her incapable of getting the lessons she was just talking about. Conversations were like water- you could hang out in the deep end for a while, but eventually you have to go back to the surface to breathe. “Do you want to invite Entrapta over and stay up way too late playing video games?” 

“Oh kitty. You know I do.” She pulled out her phone, the bright red of the case fading into a muddy maroon. 

“And Scorpia?” Catra’s hand landed on her wrist. “Thank you.” 

\-----

The paper in front of her had a bright red F in a circle at the top; she quickly flipped it over to save herself the embarrassment. What a great way to start off the new year after winter break. 

“Well class, overall your final reports were insightful, though as always there were a few that stood out for all the wrong reasons.” Ms. Weaver looked directly at Catra when she said this, not bothering to be subtle. 

_This is such bullshit. It wasn’t the best paper in the whole world, sure, but an F? Half these idiots only turned in a single page. What the fuck does this lady have against me?_

Catra mulled over it the entire class period, her blood boiling. _This isn’t fair. Why should my grades have to suffer because some old bitch decided she hates me for absolutely no reason?_ She idly hoped Scorpia wasn’t suffering from being friends with her, but from the small smile on her face when she saw the A at the top of her paper, that wasn’t a problem. 

“Not quite yet, Miss Ramos,” Ms Weaver said when the bell rang and everyone quickly filed out. Catra groaned internally. 

She waited until everyone was gone to say something. “How’s Adora?” The teacher walked down the row, stopping just in front of Catra’s desk. 

Really? This, again? What, was she trying to stalk Adora or something? “Wouldn’t know.” 

Ms. Weaver narrowed her eyes. “I don’t believe you.” 

“Well, I guess that’s your prerogative. Doesn’t change the fact that I haven’t spoken to her. What’s your deal with her, anyway? You into cradle robbing or something?” It was not a wise thing to say, she realized seconds after saying it. 

“You hold your tongue!” Ms. Weaver’s voice was vitriol, and from the look in her eye the only reason she didn’t start choking Catra was that there was a security camera in all the classrooms ever since the freshman history teacher got caught groping students. 

The woman emanated pure hatred, but regained her composure. “I heard the strangest thing about a girl that went missing around here, just a couple of days ago. Some said she was taken by the witches that have lived in this area for centuries. Of course, we both know those are just urban legends, don’t we, Catra?” The small smirk Ms. Weaver was giving her told a different story. 

“What are you talking about?” Did She know about the coven? Did she know Adora was a witch? Did she think Adora had something to do with it? Was this coven straight up abducting people? 

“If you don’t know already, you don’t need to know.” _Only witches say vague shit like that_ Catra thought. So she definitely knew, and almost definitely knew about Adora - otherwise why would she bring it up? 

Ms. Weaver looked satisfied, and Catra let her think she’d won. Her foot had spent enough time in her mouth for the day. “Can I go?” 

“I suppose. Do keep an eye on Adora, I’d hate for her to be getting up to anything… unsavory.” Catra brushed it off; the things Adora got up to weren’t her problem anymore. Besides, there was no way she kidnapped someone and - according to Scorpia - ate them. 

She still googled ‘Etheria girl missing’ and skimmed the first few. All centered around Leyla Winthrop who went missing…

...Tuesday night. The night they broke up. The night one of Adora’s magical friends mysteriously turned up on her doorstep for some sort of mission. 

This couldn’t be. 

Adora couldn’t. She wouldn’t. 

Would she? 

Catra had too many questions about what was going on with Leyla Winthrop, and the coven, and Adora, and Ms. Weaver, and no one to talk to about it. She couldn’t exactly google ‘did my ex girlfriend and her friends kidnap Leyla Winthrop, and how does my English teacher know about it?’ 

There was one person who might know. Who, at least, wouldn’t look at her like she’d grown two heads. 

_“u doin anything after school”_

_“Oh kitty, you already know the answer to that is no.”_

_“can we hang out at ur house? I got a lot of weird shit going on”_

_“Of course!! <3” _

In the meantime, Catra was sick of playing this game with Ms. Weaver. This ended now. “Hi, I need to see Principal Hordak.” It was the first time she’d gone to the office voluntarily, and the woman at the front desk looked as shocked as Catra felt. 

“Uh- of course, um, just give me one minute.” She got up and walked to his office; Catra could hear a faint knocking, and then the woman was back. “You can go on in, it’s the second door - oh, you know where.” 

Catra walked down the hallway to the second door to the left. The door was open, but she knocked anyway. “Miss Ramos. I must say, I’m surprised to see you. Please, have a seat.” Every time she saw Principal Hordak- which was much more often, since she started Ms. Weaver’s class. 

“Hey, Mr. Hordak. I’m gonna get right to it - I need to switch English classes.” She couldn’t do this. There was no way they could _make_ her put up with this. 

“Oh?” His eyebrows raised, but barely. It was unnerving how little emotion he showed. “And why is that?” 

“Ms. Weaver - I don’t know what it is, but she just does not like me. She’s failing me on purpose. I know I sound paranoid, but look.” She pulled out her essay. “As long as I put cohesive sentences on a page, I shouldn’t get an F. That’s ridiculous.” 

“Well, Miss Ramos, English is quite subjective-”

“Yeah, exactly - there’s no right answer, so as long as I tried, I should pass.” 

“I will speak with Ms. Weaver.” The principal folded his hands on the table. 

Catra froze in a moment of panic. “Then she’ll know I went to you and be even worse. Please, just… I don’t know, read the paper. If you think an F is fair, then fuck it- shit, sorry,” Catra took a deep breath. What a good time to swear out of anxiety. “If you think an F is fair, I’ll stay in the class. If not, I switch. I wouldn’t have a problem catching up, it’s still the beginning of the semester.” Catra was channelling all of her energy into presenting a composed front to him. She was not the monster here. 

He looked at her for a long moment and sighed. “Alright. I’ll read over it. You’re dismissed.” 

Catra stood, still not quite sure how that went. She got a late pass to seventh period, which for her was Drawing. At least the teacher left her alone. No one got on her case in the art room, it was just her and whatever project she was working on, and Scorpia, who was usually too focused to talk. 

Catra’s current project was a checkerboard poppy, half colored and half greyscale. Next to her Scorpia’s paper had panels of colored and greyscale beach landscape. 

Time moved quickly and all too soon the bell was ringing. 

\-----

“So, you remember that thing you told me about Etheria? And how there’s a dangerous coven here?” They were in Scorpia’s rug, sitting cross-legged on the rug again. Catra was really starting to appreciate not having to filter and micromanage everything she said. 

“Of course.” 

“Well… I wasn’t surprised, because I know someone who’s a witch. I can’t tell you who, though. They aren’t a bad person, but I am worried. I’m worried about this coven. Do you know where it is? Or where I can find more information?” There was no time for pretense. 

If it was obvious to Scorpia that this mysterious witch was Adora, she didn’t mention it. “From what I’ve heard, the coven stretches from the south side of the woods, down in Greendale, up through Etheria, to the lake. But my family doesn’t talk about the details much.” She sat with her brow furrowed for a moment. “I have an uncle who’s lived here for ages. He might be able to tell us more.” 

“What are we waiting for then? Vamanos, let’s go.” Catra saw no reason to waste time; she had to learn as much as she could about all this witch shit _now_ if she wanted to figure out if Adora was in danger or, somehow more worrying, Adora was the danger. And then there was Ms. Weaver and her creepy comments about Adora that only made sense if she knew she was a witch. Which she would probably only know if she was also a witch. It was all just getting more and more complicated and Catra needed answers. 

Scorpia didn’t jump to her feet with her. “He’s kind of a recluse. I’ll text him and see if we can go visit tomorrow, though.” She pulled out her phone and Catra drooped, slinking back onto the floor. “Kitty, I gotta know… who do you know that’s a witch? They’re really dangerous, you shouldn’t protect them.” The witch hunter crew, or at least Scorpia, didn’t seem to know about the witch bitch school, or it would’ve been abundantly obvious that it was Adora, the girl who mysteriously disappeared from school and her friends’ lives overnight. 

“I can’t tell you. I have to see- I’m not sure they know what they’re getting into. I don’t know if they’re dangerous yet, and until I do I’m not saying a word.” Catra had always been an excellent secret keeper, and that wasn’t about to change. 

Scorpia gave her one last pleading look. “What if they hurt someone in the meantime? What if they hurt you?” 

Catra’s lip quirked up in a cocky smile. “Then I’ll have my answer, and they’ll get what they deserve.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning for mentions of auxillary character death
> 
> Briefly featuring Thor, god of lesbians
> 
> Adora's POV

Pulling into the driveway of the funeral home with Glimmer riding shotgun and Bow in the back, Adora prayed her aunts - Hope, mostly - would make themselves scarce in case Leyla did come knocking. 

She was in the foyer to greet them and Adora sighed internally. It took forever to get Glimmer, the daughter of the High Priestess, past her aunt at the Church when the entire coven came together for ritual, and apparently that translated to sleepovers, too. Adora and Bow shared a look of commiseration. 

Finally, Hope dismissed them and retreated to the den. The three hurried up the stairs to Adora’s room before she could remember something else she wanted to say. 

Oh. Right. She had taken off immediately after Catra left, tidying be damned. Her laptop was open on her bed, the same show probably still paused on its screen- or it would be if the battery wasn’t dead. The chips they had been eating were open on the floor, definitely stale and thankfully not infested. “Uhh… sorry guys. Left in a hurry. I’ll just be a second.” Adora scrambled around her room, picking up errant clothing items and trash, making her bed, plugging in her laptop. Bow set up a ward surveillance system so they could keep an eye out for Leyla on the property. 

She erased all signs of the night Catra broke up with her, and burst into tears almost immediately after sitting down anyway. Glimmer and Bow wrapped their arms around her on either side. “We got you,” Bow reassured. “We brought ice cream and chocolate and fancy popcorn for this. We can watch action movies, or ridiculous romcoms about the straights, or stand-up, or whatever. You’re gonna cathart so hard.” 

Adora couldn’t stop herself from laughing through her tears, her chest loosening as it bubbled out of her. “Thank you guys.” She grabbed a tissue and wiped her cheeks. Might as well steer into the feelings storm, they had to be faced eventually and it might as well be now. “Ridiculous hetero romcoms, please. And ice cream.” 

“Here, pick one.” Bow handed the laptop to her and stood up to get the snacks. “Glimmer, you want anything?” 

“Ice cream, please.” Her arms were still around Adora as she peeked over her shoulder at the Netflix screen. What with the possibility of Leyla popping up, and the fact that Seahawk was in Hawaii, tonight was not Zinfandel and venting night. But it was probably for the best; Adora wasn’t quite at the ‘words’ point of processing… more the overwhelming sadness and wordless grief point. 

_PS I Love You… that one is sad as hell._ The only way past this was through. She had to get it all out. Watching a woman’s ugly and honest grieving process for her recently dead husband? Perfect. 

\-----

Adora woke with a stiff back and sore neck, laying somewhat diagonally on her bed between Bow and Glimmer. Sunlight streamed through the window behind them; Glimmer’s hair was flipped over her face, and she was drooling a bit on Adora’s pillow. Bow was curled into a ball. He must have been the one to move Adora’s laptop to the floor, for which she was thankful. 

She checked her phone, which was almost dead since she hadn’t plugged it in last night. It was 7:09, which meant she would be on Leyla Watch alone for the next couple hours. None of the ward mirrors were glowing, and she hadn’t heard any of them chime during the night, so at least they didn’t miss anything. 

It was hard to keep the thoughts of Catra out. The past couple mornings, she had a brief few seconds of peace as soon as she woke up before the memories washed back over her. She had to practice thinking ex-girlfriend, and she couldn’t do that without tears threatening to burst out. 

She decided to untangle herself from her friends on the bed and sit in the window nook, after stretching out her back every direction she could. Going downstairs wasn’t an option, and she didn’t feel like facing Hope this early in the morning, especially not when they were running a covert summoning operation upstairs. _On Second thought,_ She got up and padded across the floor for her laptop and charger. Peacefully sitting and staring out the window sounded great in theory, but in her current mindset that would be asking for a downward spiral. 

Romcoms were great for catharsis, but she needed something more engaging. Something with lots of fighting and an only mildly complex plot. _And Glimmer is asleep, so she can’t complain about how action movies are repetitive and boring._ To be fair, Glimmer appreciated a good one more than anyone. The bar was just very hard to reach. 

_Thor can fix this._ She had all three downloaded already; she and Catra were going to watch them ages ago and never got around to it. Adora tried not to think about that part. 

It was just before 11 o’clock when Bow started to stir. He stretched his arms over his head and let out a long sigh before even opening his eyes. “Oh, hey Adora. Any movement?” 

“Nope.” She shook her head. “And we only have an hour left.” It wasn’t looking good. _The spell didn’t work. That must be what happened. Otherwise she would be here- it’s not like this other coven is that far away._

“Damn. Well, guess we’ll hold out ‘til noon and hope for the best.” He slid off the bed and out of the room, probably to the bathroom. Adora paused Ragnarok and shut her laptop. 

When he came back, he sat next to Adora on the bench and put his hand on her shoulder. “How are you feeling?” Bow was one of those people who always actually meant it when he asked questions like that. 

A few tears escaped. Sincerity was her weakness. “How long do you have?” 

“As long as it takes.” 

Adora let out a long sigh. “It doesn’t feel real yet. I don’t even understand what I did that was so wrong! She says I abandoned her, but I kept her as close as I could. I could’ve just dropped off the face of the earth on my birthday and never spoken to her again. _That_ would be me abandoning her.” Bow rubbed her shoulders and listened. “I guess she’s kind of right, though. We’ve done everything together for most of our lives. Nothing has happened in my life that she wasn’t part of or didn’t know about. And now… now there’s just so much she can’t know, it’s exhausting!” _Was exhausting, I guess._ “I can’t believe I hurt her so much.” Her eyes squeezed shut, droplets falling onto her legs. 

“Hey. You didn’t do anything wrong. Your relationship had to change when you came to the Academy. Needing different things doesn’t make you a bad person.” Bow put his arm around her shoulders. 

“No. But lying does. I knew it wasn’t going to be the same, and I still told her it was. I wanted it to be.” Her voice choked. “I wanted to keep her and the coven. It was stupid, thinking I could have it all.” Bow’s other hand covered hers, and she leaned into him. 

“Being idealistic doesn’t make you stupid.” 

“I disagree.” 

“Well, I guess that’s within your rights. But you’re not stupid. And you’re not bad. And it sucks that both you and Catra are hurting, but that’s not your fault. I mean she broke up with you, first of all. And it’s not your fault you aren’t allowed to tell her anything about magic.” 

Adora wiped at her face and sighed again. “Thanks Bow. You’re really good at this.” Her arms wrapped around his waist, and he hugged her tighter. 

“What can I say, my dads taught me well.” It felt nice, having friends she could do this with. Lonnie and Catra were always more ‘teasing is my love language’ people, and Adora was starting to realize she liked this soft kind of friendship much better. 

She let out a small chuckle. “Yeah they did.” 

A mess of pink hair raised off the bed, obstructing Glimmer’s face entirely. “Gmorningg,” She groaned. “I have to pee.” Her legs swung dramatically and she was standing in one move. 

“Here, watch the wards. I’m gonna go make coffee.” Adora stood and smoothed her hair, trying to make it look like she hadn’t just been crying on the off chance one of her aunts intercepted her. 

She went down to the kitchen. Her aunts were nowhere to be seen. She went about brewing a pot of coffee, picking out three matching mugs with different birds on them- definitely Aunt Razz’s. 

When she finished, the mugs floated up the stairs next to her. If she couldn’t do simple little magic to make her life easier, what was the point? 

They sat around drinking coffee, Adora and Bow doing most of the talking while Glimmer woke up. Then the two of them started gathering their things to take back to the Academy. One way or another, they’d be going back when 24 hours was up. 

12 o’clock struck. “It didn’t work.” Glimmer deflated. Adora couldn’t say she was surprised; if Leyla was coming back, she expected it would’ve been much sooner. “It should’ve worked. You guys felt that spell we did. We summoned her, I know it.” That much she agreed on. 

“Unless she’s dead,” Adora didn’t think before she said it; she’d spent the past 24 hours marinating in melancholy. “Sorry.” Neither Glimmer or Bow responded. 

After a moment Bow stood up. “Guess we go home and hope for the best. Probably a good thing we didn’t tell your mom about it.” Bow picked his backpack off the floor and handed Glimmer’s to her. Adora had all the things she’d brought when she came home for break; the rest would be much better spent at school with her friends.Adora glanced over her room one more time to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything before pulling the door closed and following them downstairs. 

\-----

“How did it go?” Perfuma opened her door when she heard them in the hallway. “Where’s Leyla?” 

“You should come inside,” Bow jerked his head towards the door, and Perfuma closed hers behind her. 

It was like stepping back into their spell. All the ingredients were still there, and the energy hung in the air like smoke, even if the circle they’d cast was gone. _Glimmer’s right. This worked. It’s tangible, it’s-_

“It didn’t work,” Glimmer gave Perfuma a consoling look. “She didn’t show.” 

“Oh.” Perfuma looked disheartened for a moment. “Well, we tried our best. I mean, I could’ve sworn the spell went off without a hitch, but there are numerous aspects out of our control.” Like Leyla being dead. That was a growing possibility. 

“Yeah. Who knows, maybe Angella already has something in the works,” Bow shrugged. Possible, but not likely. From what Adora had seen, Angella was rather picky about what she put energy into. 

They sat in their usual formation- Glimmer and Adora on Glimmer’s bed, Bow in the seat next to them, and Perfuma on the floor next to him sitting on a pillow- and chatted for a while. Mercifully, no one brought up Catra or gave her a pitying look. 

Eventually Glimmer looked at her clock and stood. “I have to go to dinner with my mom. Talk to you guys later.” 

“Tell her hi for me!” Bow said. 

“Will do.” She left them with a peace sign that turned into a salute. 

\-----

Perfuma was gone by the time Glimmer returned to their dorm room - which was probably for the best, given the worrying face she came in with.

“Guys.” Her eyes were wide, and she looked kind of like she’d just robbed a bank but had no idea what she was doing. “Mymomtoldmetheyfouldleyladeadinthewoods,” She said all at once.

Bow stood up and quickly went to her, putting his hands on her shoulders so she looked at him. “Slower. We can’t understand. Breathe.” 

Glimmer took a deep breath. “My mom told me that Leyla was found this morning by a couple of hunters. She was in the woods. Looks like she froze to death some time in the night, she was only wearing a thin dress that looked like it could be basic ritual garb you’d expect a sacrifice to be in. No other injuries or indications that it was paranormal.” 

Bow looked confused. “Why would a coven do that? What do they even gain?” 

She shrugged. “Maybe we were wrong. Maybe it wasn’t a coven. Maybe she was a runaway, or some sick mortal freak left her out there.” 

“But who goes outside in a dress, no shoes or coat or anything, in the middle of winter?” Adora’s brow furrowed. Her brain was trying to find some way to twist this into something that made sense. 

_Wearing something that indicates a coven did take her… inarguably froze to death in the woods that happened to border the Spellman property, on the night they summoned her… No. NO. No fucking way. It can’t be… but what other explanation is there? Did the summoning just compel her to walk to the mortuary, without the thought or free will to find something warmer to wear and do it the safe way..?_ Adora was spinning out and it was probably showing on her face given the looks her friends were giving her. 

 

“What’s up, hon?” Glimmer asked, sitting next to her. 

“We’re the reason she’s dead,” Adora’s voice cracked. 

“What are you talking about?” Bow sat on her other side. 

“Leyla goes missing just in time for her to be prepared as a sacrifice for this other coven, and was wearing a dress that made her look the part. And she just happens to escape and freeze to death in the woods outside my house the night after we summon her? Guys, we - we killed her with the summoning.” Their faces fell. “She left wherever they were holding her and walked into below freezing temperatures unprotected, because we called her.” Tears ran freely down Glimmer’s cheeks, and Bow looked disturbed. Adora could do nothing but stare into space numbly, guilt eating her alive. “What do we do?” 

Glimmer wiped her face and composed herself. “We don’t do anything.”

“Glimmer-” 

“No, Bow, listen. There is no way to undo this, no matter what we do, we can’t un-fuck up. The mortals have a totally normal explanation. The timing is only suspicious if you know about the summoning, my mom doesn’t even think it’s a ritual thing anymore because it just doesn’t add up.” She stood, her eyes blazing. Adora had never seen her in survival mode like this. “This shit could get us ex-communicated. We learned our lesson. And honestly, she’s better off freezing to death than whatever the hell a human-sacrificing coven would do to her.” 

Adora hated to admit it, but Glimmer was right. All parties had settled on a reasonable cause, except maybe the other coven members who were supposed to make sure she didn’t escape. The summoning was a total secret. All they had to do was not talk about something that no one was asking about. 

And try to find some way to live through the guilt of indirectly killing a mortal in an attempt to help her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all didn't think magic fixed things that easily did you?


End file.
